The Trail to Gettysburg
by karglin
Summary: a story about a mans journey to gettysburg, historical fiction, people not in places if they were in real life, but that's why its historical fiction. one chap story but if i get enough reviews i will make this into a chapter book.


The Trail to Gettysburg

I walked down the lonely road listening to the other men's feet fall in step with mine, I heard the drum, and flute plays our death song which was supposed to cheer us up. We marched to our deaths as we have countless time before, but this was different this was a major attack un-like the small skirmishes were used too.

A man with a Newjersy accent came up to me to have a chat. "Well it seems were knocking at death's gate once again, it would appear that this will be a big slaughter by the looks of how many men are coming."

"Yes, it would appear so, Mister Tannon."

"Hey you men stop your talking and start your walking."

"Yes sir."

Ulysses S. Grant was our commanding officer and he was to relive us to Mr. Hancock in Gettysburg where their seemed to be some trouble with the confederate army. As we walked we heard the song of death from our drummers once more, today was going to be a very long day as I could tell.

"Positions!" Major Fieldman yelled

I scrambled as fast as I could to get into position as the confederates came running through the brush. I heard the loud cracks of muskets firing, the dull thwack of bullets hitting trees, the gut wrenching cries of dyeing men, the smack of metal bayonets' on swords, and finally nothing. I heard nothing until I saw what had happened, imbedded in a man stuck to a tree was a cannon ball. Once my hearing came back I heard men screaming retreat.

This little woodland area was full of trees to catch bullets, and trap us. I pulled out my pack and loaded my musket. I then dove into a nearby bush to conceal my self, and I waited. Men passed me running out of sheer terror, but I stayed and waited. When the last of the confederate front lines moved in their back and commanders move forward, I waited till I saw a sergeant come towards me, and as soon as I had a clear shot I fired, that shot was painful to make. The sergeant didn't even see it coming I heard my gun charge go off followed by his short grunt of surprise before he sank to the woodland floor. When I was sure he was dead I moved to a new location where I repeated the process, surprisingly my regiment didn't get too far and I soon caught up with them.

"Corporal, why did you leave formation!"

"Sorry, Quartermaster Welsh." I said with down turned head.

"That's sergeants welsh of the quartermaster corps, to you!"

I once again apologized before I went to the mess tent. This tent seemed smaller than the one in the last camp, which was a camp right outside the forest we went through. I sat down and started to eat the corn and drank the coffee that was issued to every soldier who signed up for the war. Luckily there was a sharpshooter who had one of the very special sharps rifle which grinded corn and coffee. After I had finished my food I went to talk to my military friend, Carter Manson, he was still drinking some coffee when I came over. "Well carter it would seem you drink too much."

"Yea so at least I'm a sergeant, unlike you corporeal Allen."

As we continued to tell each other of the things we missed during the fight I heard a soldier yell that some confederates were within the perimeter. Before I could grab my gun I heard a loud snapping of a branch behind carted, I grabbed him and pulled him down as his hand flung into the hand I heard his cup shatter under pressure and destructive force of the bullet, and we saw one of the barrack tents go up in smoke.

"Hold them back, we must hold until Chamberlain can get here!" that was obviously Welsh's voice ringing out above the gunshots that sounded through the many English made muskets that were being shot by the confederates.

As we fought, the night drug and we were still fighting through the early morning, but about mid-morning we heard it. "Ra-Ta-ta-ta-Ra-ta-ta-ta-Ra-ta-ta"

It was the call of Chamberlain's infantry coming to help fight. I heard knew gunshots drowning out the repetitive ones.

"Ah!" I fell to the ground shot in the leg.

"Hurry get a medic over he-" Carter choked on something I couldn't see what, but once he turned I saw the blood spilling out from the newly made wound in his back, and coming from his mouth. He fell next to me dead, before I could processes what had just happened I was dragged away from my friend's body by a man who was in surgeon's clothes.

I awoke in a tent, which seemed odd, I dismissed it, and went to find Carter, but before I could get up a surgeon came over and stopped me, he said I should wait until my leg was healed and I wasn't drunk. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I did what he asked. Once I finally remembered what happened I was overtook with grief, Carter died, and in order to stop me from feeling pain they shot me full of whiskey to numb my body so they could do something. I didn't know what they did so on instinct I looked down, I saw my leg which was a good sign they didn't amputate it or maybe I was still drunk I couldn't tell. I was up and about in an hour, though I was still weak, once I felt confident in my strength I went to find Welsh.

"We don't know what happened we just found him dead on the floor just like this." I listened to what sergeant Darlene had to say about Welsh's dead carcass found strewn in the battlefield by his camp.

"Well sarg it seems it wasn't your fault, unfortunately since he was in charge of my regiment for awhile its seems I'm the last one too see him alive and dead so I must make the report, I hate paper work!"

"Yes, well I guess I should take my leave then."

As I made my way to General Grant's office I saw many soldiers either dead, being buried or if they were enemies being burned. I continued my walk to his tent when something caught my eye it was a small cup that had been shattered and was now lying, about the area near a red stained fire.

I remembered it all too vividly the gunshot that broke the cup, and the gunshot that caused my friend to die, not the one that hit him, but the one that had hit me, which caused him to get shot, if I had been more careful he would be here with me walking to Grants office.

Before I knew it I was in Grant's tent and he was beckoning me over to his side.

"Yes, what do you want, I'm very busy discussing with chamberlain what our next move should be."

"Sir I regret to inform you, but it would seem tha-"

"Corporeal Allen is it, spite it out!" chamberlain yelled

"Sir I regret to inform you that Quartermaster Welsh is dead."

"Hm, seems ill need another, unfortunately I don't have a man to train, we can mourn his death after the war is over, thank you for telling me this sergeant Allen." Grant said

"Sir I'm just a corporeal." I said to them both

"Yes well, for not being afraid to tell me the news you're a sergeant and you will take Sergeant Carter's spot as a platoon commander."

"Yes sir." I said with remorse for my fallen ally, and I walked out of the tent.

I walked to the mess tent felling a little sick of lack of food, and I needed something to tie me over while I think about what happened last night and a couple of minutes ago. I was just crossing the musician tent right in front of the mess tent when a war buddy of Carter's came up and started to talk with me.

"Well it would seem you and me were his only friends." I could tell he had been holding back tears and was about to lose the fight within.

"It would Sergeant William."

"Well as long as he died protecting the country he loved and a friend he trusted, he got an honorably death."

"I just wish he would've run then stay and try to protect me."

We talked more and still talked while we ate and went back to our tents, turns out William were moving to my company to be co-commander of it. We continued on the road towards Gettysburg, nothing happened for two days, on the third we had to run from artillery too high in the cliffs to shoot. I lost ten of my men that day and William was hit by flying shrapnel from a mans broken bayonet that got spliced when the cannonball hit him. We emerged on a confederate encampment four days after I first talked to William.

"Finally we get to be the ones to ambush the confederates unlike the other way around."

"Hawkins, keep it down or they'll hear us!"

We sat in silence waiting for the command, me shutting Hawkins up, and William looking for the signal. It was about forty-five minuets later that the sentry switched command, and I heard the signal.

"Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ra-ta-ta-ta-ta!" sounded the bugle, we charged immediately.

"Charge!" I yelled at the top of my burning lungs. We charged from the forest out into the open fields where I was deafened by the loud slugs of the cast iron, and lead balls flying over and past my head. I ran slow enough so I wouldn't be picked off, but fast enough so I wouldn't be left behind in the attack.

The gunshots that sounded spoke like sad song of death and decay, the melody was biter-sweet to the ear, the chorus was of screaming men and screeching cannons, and the beat was set upon the clashing, screeching sound of metal grinding on metal. The night drug on as the smell of carcasses and the screams of terror filled the air.

"We actually did it; look at those confederates run back to their states where they'll be waited on by men with no free will, who'd sooner put a knife in their back!"

"Um corporeal."

"Yes commander, I know that came out wrong."

"Well then let's go see what we can salvage."

We made our way down the brown rocky hill to the small treed valley where the confederates made their final stand against us, and to our surprise we found many items we could use, but not all seemed right.

"I don't like it here commander it seems eerie."

"Neither do I."

As we approached the tent where the commander slept I got a feeling something was wrong, but I dismissed it. I bent down to pick up a pistol and as I did a shot of lead went flying over my head, I fell to the cold ground and immediately drew my navy colt 45. revolver out of its blacken, tanned holster hanging at my waist near my ceremonial sword. I turned to the seen of the shot, and saw that my men were already shooting at the sharps shooter. Why had it taken me so long to get my gun I wondered, I soon realized it took so long, because I hadn't just fallen, I did a combat roll on instinct then fallen to the ground.

I jumped up to see not only a sharps was shooting but a small group was backing him up, I saw several of my men fall to the ground where they bled, a few died before they hit the ground as a bullet went thru their eyes making them bleed and hemorrhage to death. This night as many other nights have shown me, they say were winning but at what cost of lives.

"Welcome men to the city of Gettysburg!"

"Thank you colonel."

"Well sergeant Allen it seems its here where we make our stand."

"It would seem so."

As the days passed we knew the confederates were coming. Finally after a long wait the were upon us.

"Mount the cannons, and stop these men from getting over that fence!"

The cannons fired and men died of the thousands little did I wonder now about the horrors of war for now I was living them. I ended up charging with my battalion at their fence and I didn't know what to suspect.

I soon saw what my fate was to be. Some made it over and I was going to but a thin sharp piece of metal stopped me, I jumped and fell impaling the sharp metal into the left side of my gut, after he pulled it out I fell to the ground and everything went black.


End file.
